Annual report of the Policy and Planning Board, 1995.

During 1995 the Policy and Planning Board (P&P) of the American Psychological Association (APA) finalized its work on amendments to the APA Bylaws and Association Rules and published the 1995 "Five-Year Report of the P&P." P&P hosted a working breakfast at the annual convention for representatives of divisions and relevant boards and committees to consider APA's long-range role in the changing economic times for both the discipline and individual psychologists. On the basis of information from the P&P retreat meeting, potential models for new APA divisions were developed, and discussion of their merits began with other APA groups as part of P&P's consideration of APA's future direction as an organization. This report is organized as follows: APA/division relations, economy and long-range planning, division formation, and items from the Council of Representatives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex differences, sex composition, and group problem solving.

Males and females solved Maier's (1952) horse trading problem while working alone or in groups. Men tended to solve the problem better individually but also to profit from group discussion. Women in mixed groups seemed better motivated to solve the problem than those in groups composed of all females. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology, public affairs, and public policy: A strategy and review.

Discusses psychology and public image problems in relation to public policy and public affairs. The American Psychological Association's (APA) strategy, past and present efforts, effectiveness, and suggestions for future directions are reviewed. Public policy issues for the APA involve the appropriate corporate role in commitment to a process of establishing, maintaining, and expanding a credible public presence regarding the field. Members of the field cannot expect to play a constructive role in policy development if people are misinformed about psychology and psychologists. Suggestions for future APA strategies include surveying members' opinions on a routine basis; focused, topic-specific projects with radio and TV; more frequent task reports on specific issues; increased efforts to educate writers and members of the media; and the establishment of liaison committees or joint task forces with other professional groups. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hypnosis, relaxation, and motor retardation.

Assigned 30 male undergraduates scoring 4 or better on the Barber Suggestibility Scale to 3 groups: (a) alert hypnotic induction, (b) relaxation hypnotic induction, and (c) relaxation control. RT of the alert group was significantly faster than that for the other 2 groups, which did not differ from one another. A significant increase in RT over trials was manifested by the latter 2 groups. Results are discussed in relation to the altered state of consciousness concept of hypnosis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Utility of WISC-R subtest analysis in discriminating among groups of conduct problem, withdrawn, mixed, and nonproblem boys.

Examined the ability of WISC-R subtest scores to distinguish among 3 groups of behaviorally disordered boys and a group of nondisordered Ss. The 100 7–16 yr old Ss were assigned to 1 of the 4 groups, based on their scores from the Behavior Problem Checklist. Results suggest that although WISC-R subtest scores distinguished among the groups, their use as a classification metric would be highly misleading. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

MMPI overlap item scales for differentiating psychotics, neurotics, and nonpsychiatric groups.

To test the hypothesis that overlapping items of MMPI scales measure factors common to the criterion groups associated with the scales, 3 scales were constructed: Neurotic Overlap, Psychotic Overlap, and Maladjustment Overlap. These scales were validated against clinical psychotic and neurotic groups and 2 normal control groups. Results support the hypothesis and the validity of the 3 new scales. (2 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Men, Women, and Leadership Centralization in Groups Over Time.

The authors propose a model for predicting the emergence of group norms from the demographic composition of groups. They use this model to study gender and leadership centralization in groups over time. Results from 2 longitudinal studies were consistent with their predictions: (a) Women, more than men, preferred equality norms in groups; (b) all-male and majority-male groups had relatively centralized leadership structures; (c) all-female groups had relatively decentralized leadership structures; and (d) balanced and majority-female groups were relatively centralized at the onset of group interaction but decreased in centralization over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The ethnicity gap: The past, present, and future.

The gap between the growth of ethnic minority groups nationally and the numbers of such groups within psychology is described. Three topics relevant to professional psychology are considered: mental health services, the educational pipeline, and the governance structure within the American Psychological Association. The authors outline past and current data and recommend actions for the future. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Word sequence, word frequency, and free recall.

3 groups of 22 undergraduates each were asked to memorize lists of either (a) all common words, (b) all rare words, or (c) a mixed list of alternating common and rare words. In terms of trials to criterion in free recall the groups were rank ordered rare > common > mixed. The typical high-frequency easier-recall effect was reversed in the mixed list where rare words were recalled more efficiently than common words. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expectation of future treatment, stimulus satiation, and smoking.

Attempted to replicate J. Resnick's (see record 1969-00876-001) study on the effects of stimulus satiation on smoking behavior. Stimulus satiation, minimal treatment, and individual effort groups were compared using expectation or no expectation of future treatment. Results with 48 smokers show significant reductions in smoking for all groups. Results do not support Resnick's findings for stimulus satiation. Procedural and methodological differences between the studies are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Officers, boards, committees, and representatives of the American Psychological Association, 1992.

In addition to the APA officers, boards, committees and council of representatives, the list includes APA representatives to other professional organizations, APA Division officers, APA-affiliated psychological associations, other organizations of interest to APA members, and secretaries of state and provincial boards and agencies for the statutory licensure or certification of psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

GSR reactivity as a function of anxiety, instructions, and sex.

"GSR conditioning and extinction measures were obtained on 120 college Ss in a factorial experimental design in which 12 treatment groups were divided into 2 sex groups, 3 instruction groups, and high- and low-anxiety groups. The 3 instruction groups were given 3 different kinds of instruction designed to be: (a) apprehension arousing; (b) neutral; and (c) reassuring." Male Ss showed less conditioning when given reassuring instructions; female Ss showed the least conditioning with the apprehension-arousing instructions. Females showed greater GSR reactivity than males in all phases of the experiment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Goodnight Saigon": Music, fiction, poetry, and film in readjustment group counseling.

Clinicians often wonder what combination of techniques can be maximally effective for individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder. This article describes the use of music, fiction, poetry, and contemporary film with several combat and here-and-now readjustment counseling groups, spouses groups, and family groups. E. H. Erikson's (1985) model of identity informed the group processes and specific homework assignments. The observed effects of these interventions on Vietnam veterans and on their significant others are described. Others may wish to use and to evaluate these techniques in groups for other specific disorders when this particular combination is relevant and appropriate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Frequency, quality, and impact of life events in self-rated depressed, behavioral-problem, and normal children.

Assessed 60 self-rated depressed, behavioral-problem, and normal 3rd–6th grade children closely matched for sex, age, and socioeconomic status (SES) for the number, quality, and impact of stressful life events in the past year. Results indicate that dysphoria-reporting Ss experienced more life events and a higher qualitative index of stress than the other 2 groups. The impact of each event, however, was not greater for the depressed Ss than for the other 2 groups. The self-rated depressed Ss appeared to experience more major family disruptions than the other 2 groups of Ss. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Communication restraints, group flexibility, and group confidence.

"This study was designed to explore the relationship between selected group structure variables and the group's ability to adjust to the requirements of a new situation (group flexibility) and the group members' expressed confidence in the ability of the group to succeed in a problem-solving situation." About 1000 men in 96 aircrews did a group task (8-item intelligence exam). Leaders in flexible groups scored low on the F scale and high on conformity. Greater confidence was expressed by members of high attraction groups and groups whose leaders tended to conform to the group members' opinions. "… groups with more open communication systems (group with fewer communication restraints) are more flexible and more confident." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On affection, group composition, and self-actualization in sensitivity training.

Studied 40 interdenominational missionaries in a 5-day, residential, human relations sensitivity training program. Ss were placed in 4 groups according to premeasured compatibility for affection on the Fundamental Interpersonal Orientation-Behavior scale. The hypothesis is that Ss in 2 incompatible affection groups would gain significantly more on dimensions of self-actualization (Personal Orientation Inventory) than Ss in 2 compatible affection groups was supported on the Inner Directed, Feeling Reactivity, Spontaneity, and Capacity for Intimate Contact scales. The implications of preselected group composition models are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interacting effects of control, motivation, group practice, and problem difficulty on attempted leadership.

"Fifty-one groups of five subjects each were studied on ten brief trials to examine the effects of differing motivation and amount of control in the tendency to attempt leadership in a group situation." Results suggest "that a member's attempted leadership is higher, the higher his control and the higher the group's motivation." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Leadership, participation, and self-orientation in observed and nonobserved groups.

Examined previous findings that leadership rank, dominance-ascendance, and participation rank tend to be intercorrelated in leaderless discussion groups. An analysis of data gathered from 20 groups of 5 male undergraduates each, who met either in the presence or the absence of an o, indicate that these variables are associated only in observed groups. M. Orne's (see pa, vol. 37:5917) and H. Riecken's (see pa, vol. 38:60) models of the experiment as a social situation are used to explain these results. (22 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social class, treatment attitudes, and expectations.

Administered the Mental Health Attitude Survey (MHAS) to 90 white outpatient psychotherapy clinic applicants from middle, working, and unskilled socioeconomic status (SES) levels. Findings suggest that prior assumptions about differences in help-seeking attitudes and treatment expectations among SES groups must be carefully reevaluated, since no significant effects for sex, SES, or interactions were found on any MHAS dimension. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)